Bengie ain’t heavy…

Players, coaches and hard-working reporters are always searching for good restaurant recommendations. In a place like St. Louis, there aren’t as many choices. But Bengie Molina had a great time Saturday night.

He went to his little brother’s house.

Yadier Molina signed a long-term contract with the Cardinals and bought himself a nice spread in the suburbs. Neither Molina brother played on Saturday, so they didn’t need to relive that afternoon’s game. They caught up on all the usual family stuff, and shared all the usual laughs between brothers.

The next day, both catchers were behind the plate – and had to figure out how to get each other out.

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A couple days earlier, I asked Bengie what he says whenever his brother comes to the plate, and vice versa. Do they tap each other on the shinguards? Tell a joke? Challenge each other to get a hit?

It never crossed my mind to ask if they tip pitches, or do something to give each other an advantage at the plate. I know Bengie too well, and even if I didn’t, that just doesn’t happen in baseball, on any level.

But Bengie had thought of it. Or, to be more precise, he thought of what others might think.

Age and experience definitely had the edge Sunday. Yadier was 0-for-3 with a walk, while Bengie was 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs. His two-run double was the biggest hit in the Giants’ six-run third inning.

Bengie was barely thrown out trying to stretch a single into what would have been his third double of the game. I looked it up. He’s never had three doubles in a game. In fact, it would have been just his third career game with three extra-base hits. The last time he did that was June 24, 2003, at Seattle. He had two doubles and a homer that day.

At least Bengie didn’t homer with his brother behind the plate, though that probably wasn’t much consolation to Yadier. And now, since the Giants and Cardinals have completed their season series so early on the calendar, Yadier has the rest of the summer and an entire winter to think about how to
get his big brother out.

“Naaah,” Bengie said. “He’s fine. I tell you, the Cardinals are lucky to have him back there.”

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has witnessed and documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This will be his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants. A second title, Giant Splash, is due to be published by Triumph Books in April 2015.
Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.